1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image alignment method, and more particularly relates to an image alignment method utilizing a phase correlation method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The microscopy technology has been evolved in many years and has made a tremendous contribution in the development of technology. During the recent decade, the rapid development of high-performance personal computers further contributes to the maturity and the application of the technology. Additionally, using optical sectioning (tomography) and digital image reconstruction to perform a three-dimensional micro-tomography has made a great impact on many fields.
In terms of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and an X-ray microscopy, objects need to be taken with the different projection angles to produce the three-dimensional information and images, but all these data need precise image alignment. And the displacements of the original images is due to a mechanical shock or the defects, which are produced when the images are taken from different angles or owing to the location movement of the machine caused by the thermal drift. In a conventional way, the manual operation is utilized to overcome these issues, however, it is not only a waste of time but also easy to produce human errors. An improved conventional study, the cross-correlation method, is used to resolve the manual problem, nevertheless, another important issue is aimed at the images taken with different angles are not identical, which cannot be completely overcome.